Conscience Welcomes Peng Fu as New CEO 

Mr. Fu brings extensive financial and biotech experience to role as the nonprofit expands its innovative platform to address unmet needs in drug discovery and development through open science.

Toronto, ON, Canada, May 28, 2025 — Conscience, a non-profit that uses open science and true collaboration to enable drug discovery and development where market solutions are limited, is pleased to announce the appointment of Peng Fu as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO), effective immediately. Mr. Fu succeeds inaugural CEO, Ryan Merkley, who as previously announced, departed the organization in early 2025. 

Mr. Fu stepping in as Conscience’s new CEO marks a milestone in the organization’s strategic evolution. “We are thrilled to welcome Peng Fu to the leadership team at Conscience during an integral time in our organization,” said Anke Mueller-Fahrnow, Chair of Conscience’s Board of Directors. “Peng’s entrepreneurial mindset, investment expertise, and science and legal background are key to taking Conscience to the next stage. We are confident that he is the right person for this role. We look forward to working with Peng and bringing further awareness to the importance of open science in enabling drug discovery and development, so that we can achieve better health outcomes for all.”

Mr. Fu joins Conscience with an impressive range of biotech, financing and executive experience. He is the founder of Novatio Ventures, an investment and advisory firm that accelerates the commercialization of high-potential life science innovations through incubation of early stage technologies and provision of bespoke financing solutions to growth stage companies. Mr. Fu is also a board member and founding investor of 3io Therapeutics and Precision Proteomics, two Canadian companies developing technologies licensed from Canadian institutions. He previously served as Managing Director and Partner at CBC Group and LYFE Capital, respectively, two leading global healthcare private equity firms. Earlier, Mr. Fu was Vice President, Business Development at DRI Capital (now DRI Healthcare), Director, Senior Counsel and member of the Executive Committee at Amgen Canada, and Director, Legal Affairs at Teva Pharmaceuticals. Mr. Fu began his career as a life science attorney in private practice at Torys and Gilbert’s LLP in Toronto. He holds an MSc degree in biology from the University of Toronto and a JD degree in law from Queen’s University. 

“Conscience views science as a team sport and I am excited to be joining this exceptional team as we work together to use AI and open science to advance drug discovery,” said Peng Fu, CEO of Conscience. “In only a few years, the team has built a solid foundation with an expansive network of partners, and has launched several key initiatives, including the CACHE (Critical Assessment of Computational Hit-Finding Experiments) Challenges and DMOS (Developing Medicines through Open Science) program. I look forward to building on this foundation and expanding our platform in the years ahead.”

About Conscience

Conscience is a non-profit focused on enabling drug discovery and development in areas where open sharing and collaboration are key to advancement and where market solutions are limited, such as rare or neglected diseases, pandemic preparedness, and antimicrobial resistance. It does so by encouraging teamwork, the open sharing of knowledge and tools, the use and improvement of artificial intelligence, and the development of policies that break down barriers of traditional drug development models. Powered by a network that includes academics, industry, technologists, policy experts, and public support, Conscience seeks to drive innovation by turning drug discovery and development into a team sport. Through key initiatives, such as its DMOS (Developing Medicines through Open Science) program and CACHE (Critical Assessment of Computation Hit-finding Experiments) Challenges, Conscience is accelerating the path to treatments for those who need them most so no patient is left behind. For more information, visit www.conscience.ca.

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The piece features several organizations, including Conscience, that are helping to redefine what sustainable, collaborative innovation can look like in life sciences. It highlights how our programs provide Canadian SMEs with financial and technical support to pursue drug discovery efforts without relying on patents.

Read the full article »

The post Canadian SMEs Should Shift Perspectives on Patents to Enable Growth appeared first on Conscience.

The panel was moderated by Rozen and featured Edwards alongside Clarissa Desjardins (CEO, Congruence) and Maha Katabi (General Partner, Sofinnova Investments), sparking lively debate on the role of open science in drug development. While some panelists expressed skepticism toward fully open approaches, the exchange gave the audience fresh insight into a model that is still unfamiliar to many in the Canadian life sciences space. The panel drew strong feedback from attendees, many of whom said the subject matter was new and eye-opening. It marked an important moment for introducing Conscience and the case for open science into broader conversations in the Canadian life sciences community.

With over $2 billion invested to date, the Fonds de solidarité FTQ is the largest institutional life sciences investor in Québec and Canada. The Symposium provided an opportunity to take stock of the industry’s progress, discuss its current challenges, and explore paths forward. We’re proud that Conscience was able to contribute meaningfully to those conversations—and help put open science more firmly on the map.

The post Conscience sparks dialogue on open science at the Fonds de solidarité FTQ Life Sciences Symposium appeared first on Conscience.

126 valued members of our community from across academia, industry, and non-profit sectors, gathered for two dynamic days of panels, workshops, and discussions showcasing how open science is already driving the discovery of new medicines. The program was carefully designed to reflect Conscience’s mission: to support teamwork, the open sharing of knowledge and tools, the use and improvement of artificial intelligence, and the development of policies that help break down barriers in traditional drug development.

Following an engaging opening keynote by renowned scientist and author Derek Lowe, we were proud to spotlight the work of our program participants, including CACHE Challenge teams and grantees of our Developing Medicines through Open Science program, as well as members of our broader network whose efforts align with our shared goals. The flash talk session showcased the diverse range of projects our community members are working on and created space for presenters to connect with potential collaborators during the discussions that followed.

The presence of patient advocates and organizations, as well as an inspiring collection of art from the Rare Artist program by the EveryLife Foundation, reminded us all why we do this work: to ensure that no one is left behind. The session led by Linda Lafontaine and Jason Karamchandani, which focused on how patients can be a driving force in enabling and accelerating research, was especially well received.

Feedback from attendees was overwhelmingly positive. Many highlighted the variety and quality of topics—from machine learning and intellectual property to benchmarking and patient engagement—as well as the wide range of expertise and backgrounds of the audience. Attendees appreciated the event’s diverse program, excellent time management, and the opportunity for active participation and rich discussion. The strategic networking and discussion sessions in the Café space reflected the energy and enthusiasm of our community, drawing strong participation and sparking meaningful conversations throughout the event. 

Perhaps most powerfully, several attendees shared that the Symposium changed their perspective on open science: “I didn’t believe open could work. Now I see that it can.” Many others noted that they made meaningful connections they never would have made without Conscience—a testament to the value of bringing people together around a shared vision and the high caliber of the audience.

To our generous sponsors, inspiring speakers, dedicated staff, and all who participated—Thank You! Your enthusiasm, ideas, and commitment made this event a resounding success. As our board chair, Anke Mueller-Fahrnow put it, we were truly “inspired by the energy present in the room”. We look forward to welcoming you back at our next event!

Click here to access the recordings of the sessions, which are available on our YouTube channel for anyone to watch. You can also browse the speakers’ slides through Zenodo.

Photos are licensed CC BY 4.0 and were taken by Tiah Coxon/Cine-Cast for Conscience.

This event was made possible by our sponsors: Enamine, Astrazeneca, Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, UCB, Molecular Forecaster, Acceleration Consortium, and Valence Labs.

The post Reflecting on the Conscience Symposium on Open Drug Discovery appeared first on Conscience.

Read this article in Science »

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For more information, contact:
Estrid Jakobsen at estrid.jakobsen@conscience.ca 
Julia Smith at julia@finchmedia.net 

Conscience Expands CACHE Governing Board

Leading industry representatives collaborate to provide guidance on computational small molecule hit-finding, which is critical in drug discovery 

Toronto, ON, Canada, April 2, 2025 — Conscience, a non-profit that uses open science and true collaboration to enable drug discovery and development where market solutions are limited, is pleased to share its CACHE (Critical Assessment of Computational Hit-finding Experiments) Governing Board now includes four industry members. Yogesh Sabnis, Director of Lead Design from UCB, has been appointed to the Board, following the appointment of Anders Hogner, Senior Director AI Science at AstraZeneca, in November. Sabnis and Hogner join Judith Günther, Senior Principal Scientist within Bayer’s Structural Biology and Computational Design Team, and Yvonne Westermaier, Principal Scientist II in Computational Chemistry at Boehringer Ingelheim (BI), both of whom have renewed their commitment to the CACHE Governing Board for two-year terms. Westermaier is taking the place of Uta Lessel, who is stepping down from the CACHE Board and is a Principal Scientist at BI.

The Governing Board’s role is to actively lead and provide direction for the CACHE challenges, as well as nominate members for its independent expert panels for target selection, application review and hit evaluation.

“We are thrilled to welcome Yogesh Sabnis to the CACHE Governing Board to work alongside Anders Hogner, Judith Günther, and Yvonne Westermaier to provide strategic guidance and ensure that CACHE continues to define the state-of-the-art in computational hit finding. We would also like to thank Uta Lessel for her contributions in shaping this competition,” said Matthieu Schapira, CACHE’s Scientific Coordinator, Principal Investigator at the Structural Genomics Consortium and Professor at University of Toronto. “Having representatives with deep domain expertise from Bayer, UCB, AstraZeneca, and BI at the table is important to help us guide the community towards a technological breakthrough in computational drug discovery.”

CACHE Challenges are open competitions to encourage and accelerate early-stage drug discovery, improving AI methods and digital tools that facilitate and support the process. All findings and benchmarks are shared publicly, without patents, to create opportunities for life-changing impacts and maximize the benefits of open sharing and collaboration among industry, SMEs, and academia. In its first competition, the CACHE Challenge succeeded in recognizing that AI techniques offer promise in identifying hits. The second CACHE Challenge focused on identifying molecules that would bind to a highly conserved site on a SARS-CoV-2 protein, which, if successfully developed into a drug, could be used to treat all coronaviruses. In the third CACHE Challenge, researchers from across the globe used computational methods to predict molecules to bind on a potential target to develop medicines against another round of COVID, SARS-CoV-2. Four molecules were identified that were chemically novel and showed promise as starting points for drug development. The dataset generated from each competition, including the promising new molecules, is now available publicly on the CACHE Challenges website for researchers anywhere to develop further without patent or restriction.

About Conscience

Conscience is a non-profit focused on enabling drug discovery and development in areas where open sharing and collaboration are key to advancement and where market solutions are limited, such as rare or infectious diseases and antimicrobial resistance. It does so by encouraging teamwork, the open sharing of knowledge and tools, the use of artificial intelligence, and the development of policies that break down barriers of traditional drug development  models. Powered by a network that includes academics, industry, technologists, policy experts, and public support, Conscience seeks to drive innovation by turning drug discovery and development into a team sport. Through key initiatives, such as its DMOS (Developing Medicines through Open Science) program and CACHE (Critical Assessment of Computation Hit-finding Experiments) Challenges, Conscience is accelerating the path to treatments for those who need them most so no patient is left behind. For more information, visit www.conscience.ca.

About the CACHE Challenges

The CACHE (Critical Assessment of Computation Hit-finding Experiments) Challenges offer an open competition platform to help accelerate one of the early stages of drug discovery. Researchers from academia, industry, and nonprofits are invited to deploy their best computational methods to predict small molecules that will bind to a predefined target linked to a specific disease, a critical step in the drug discovery pipeline known as hit-finding. Their predictions are evaluated and benchmarked in a state-of-the-art laboratory, by our partners at the Structural Genomics Consortium (SGC). All the benchmarked results are shared openly and publicly with the world, and all chemical structures are made available without patent to all. Visit conscience.ca/cache-challenge/. 

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Read this article in The National Observer »

Richard also recently appeared on TVO and on CBC’s The Current, sharing his expertise on similar topics. Follow the links below to watch and listen to the interviews.

Watch on TVO: Could American’s Brain Drain Be Canada’s Brain Gain? »

Listen on CBC’s The Current with Matt Galloway »

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Access this press release on Business Wire

For more information, contact:
Estrid Jakobsen at estrid.jakobsen@conscience.ca 
Julia Smith at julia@finchmedia.net 

Conscience Announces Recipients of Inaugural Program to Foster Collaborative Drug Discovery and Development 

The Developing Medicines through Open Science program supports preclinical drug development in areas of pharmaceutical market failure

Program announcement leads into Rare Disease Day on February 28

Toronto, ON, Canada, February 27, 2025 — Conscience, a non-profit focused on accelerating drug discovery in areas of unmet medical need using open science and radical collaboration, is pleased to announce three recipients and projects have been approved for its Developing Medicines through Open Science (DMOS) program. The DMOS program is designed to foster collaborative drug discovery and development in areas often overlooked by the pharmaceutical industry, such as rare and orphan diseases and antimicrobial resistance. The inaugural round of this program is offering a total of $5M in funding and partnership opportunities to support significant advancements toward drug candidates. 

Rare Disease Day is recognized on the last day of February to increase awareness for rare diseases and improve access to treatment for those living with rare diseases and their families. The DMOS program grantees are working towards treatments and cures for three rare diseases: a genetic neuromuscular disorder, a pediatric brain cancer, and a liver disease.

“The DMOS program is underscored by our vision of a world where more drug therapies are developed, and these treatments are both accessible and affordable,” says Anne Fortier, Vice President (VP), Drug Discovery at Conscience. “We believe collaboration is the solution and proudly support projects that undertake preclinical research to establish proof-of-concept for an open science approach towards treatments and cures for life-threatening or severely debilitating diseases in areas of market failure. We can’t wait to work with and learn from each of the projects currently in our program.”

Additional Quotes

“Rare Disease Day offers a reminder that while rare diseases affect a limited number of people, their effects are devastating to those impacted and their loved ones. That is why our government supports Conscience’s expertise through the Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF) to tackle rare diseases to improve access to care and treatments for Canadians. This contribution will help develop drug discovery through open science, and I look forward to the results of these projects.”
– François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry

“We are grateful for how the Conscience grant is supporting Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC) research. PSC is a rare and devastating liver disease with no treatments or cure. This grant enables us to build on work that maps PSC liver cells for pursuing preclinical drug development. With an unwavering commitment to a cure, we believe in the power of an open science approach. We envision a world where a PSC diagnosis comes with a safe and effective treatment, and Conscience’s Developing Medicines through Open Science program takes us one step closer”
– Mary Vyas, President, PSC Partners Seeking a Cure Canada

DMOS Project Details

The following projects listed below were selected in this round. Although submissions for the inaugural round are now closed, DMOS may accept proposals on a rolling basis. For applicants interested in submitting a proposal that adheres to the program’s scope and eligibility criteria, please visit the website to learn more.

DMOS offers a unique opportunity to contribute to the advancement of drug discovery and development through open science. In 2024, proposals were submitted to Conscience for consideration, each requiring a comprehensive preclinical research plan targeting an area of pharmaceutical market failure, with research conducted at Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) 2-6. Additionally, each proposal needed to involve at least one Canadian SME,  commit to Conscience’s Open Science Policy, and provide proof of matching funds to cover the remaining cost, as Conscience currently funds a maximum of 33 per cent to academics and 50 per cent to SMEs.

About Conscience

Conscience is a nonprofit biotech focused on transforming the drug development landscape by enabling the discovery of potential treatments for diseases that have received limited attention from the pharmaceutical industry. Conscience seeks to use collaborative approaches, open science, and artificial intelligence to break down barriers of profit-driven models. Powered by a network that includes academics, industry, technologists, policy experts, and public support, Conscience aims to drive innovation in drug discovery and development, and treatment accessibility. Through key initiatives, such as its DMOS (Developing Medicines through Open Science) program and CACHE (Critical Assessment of Computation Hit-finding Experiments) Challenges, Conscience is accelerating the path to treatments for those who need them most to ensure no one is left behind. For more information, visit www.conscience.ca.

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Read the full article in In Vivo  »

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This piece first appeared in The Globe and Mail and is also available for free on the Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI) website – read it here.

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